The Astros are in settlement with lefty reliever Jalen Beeks, stories Jon Heyman of The New York Put up. It’s a minor league contract, in response to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Beeks divided the ’24 season between the Rockies and Pirates. He tossed 71 innings of 4.50 ERA ball between the 2 golf equipment. Beeks carried a 4.74 mark over 49 1/3 frames for Colorado. The Rox flipped him to Pittsburgh on the deadline for minor league reliever Luis Peralta. The 31-year-old southpaw managed respectable manufacturing for the Bucs. He turned in a 3.92 ERA with three holds and a save throughout 20 2/3 innings.
Nevertheless, Beeks’ strikeout charge trended down for the fourth consecutive season. He punched out 32.1% of opponents as a member of the Rays within the shortened 2020 season. Beeks missed all of ’21 rehabbing from Tommy John surgical procedure, however he returned to put up a 28% strikeout charge over 61 innings in 2022. That fell to 24.5% the following season and dropped to a nicely below-average 17.6% mark final 12 months. The commerce didn’t assist in that regard. Beeks had run an 18% strikeout charge with Colorado and fanned 16.8% of opposing hitters in Pittsburgh.
Beeks nonetheless throws fairly arduous. His fastball averaged 94.5 MPH final season. That’s in keeping with the place it has landed since his surgical procedure. He leaned extra closely on the pitch on the expense of his changeup and cutter final 12 months. Beeks did a good job limiting arduous contact on all three pitches, however he solely missed bats successfully with the changeup.
Houston spent a number of years working with out many left-handers of their bullpen. Josh Hader will shut, leaving the lefty center aid group slightly skinny. The Astros let deadline pickup Caleb Ferguson depart in free company to the Pirates. That leaves Bryan King and Bennett Sousa as the one different lefty relievers on the 40-man roster. Beeks joins Steven Okert and Blake Weiman as non-roster southpaws in camp.
